Chương 288: A Old Man's Authority

The massive doors of the Royal Library groaned softly as they opened inward, allowing the pale light of dawn to spill across the polished marble floor. A young man stepped through the entrance wearing an onyx mask marked with the symbol of a golden sun. His posture was sluggish, shoulders slightly lowered beneath clear exhaustion as he walked into the vast structure with an unrestrained yawn muffled behind the mask. Vale.

The moment the doors shut behind him, he pulled the mask free from his face and stretched both his arms above his head. Every joint in his body protested immediately. His muscles felt stiff, rusted almost beyond function, and sharp aches crawled through his limbs whenever he moved too suddenly. Sleeping beside Illu in the freezing stone basement of the colosseum had proven far less comfortable than he had expected. At the time, exhaustion had overwhelmed common sense.

Wrapped beside the enormous raven beneath dim torchlight, he had fallen asleep without a second thought. Now, however, his body was collecting payment for that decision in full. Vale groaned under his breath while rolling one shoulder carefully.

"Alright…" he muttered reluctantly.

"That should be enough for now." It wasn't. His back still hurt. His legs still felt heavy. Even his neck protested whenever he turned too quickly. The early-morning silence of the library wrapped around him gently as he walked deeper inside. A few staff members had already begun their duties among the towering shelves, quietly organizing books and transporting stacks of ancient records through the halls.

Several greeted him politely as they passed, and Vale returned the greetings with lazy waves despite the exhaustion dragging at him. Eventually, his attention shifted toward the medallion hanging at his side. Without hesitation, he tapped it lightly. At once, the library responded. The enormous staircase at the center of the structure trembled before beginning to shift.

Stone groaned against stone as the countless spiraling pathways rearranged themselves, rotating upward into a single ascending route that stretched impossibly high toward the very peak of the library. Toward Drago's office. Vale stared upward for a brief moment before sighing.

"Well," he muttered to himself, "guess there's no backing out now." Drago had personally allowed him access to the medallion's authority. Normally, nobody aside from the highest-ranking members of the library could alter the internal structure of the building itself, but Vale had long since stopped questioning how much influence the old man truly possessed. Slowly, he began climbing.

The staircase spiraled upward through the colossal interior of the library while dawn's light filtered through stained-glass windows, painting shifting colors across the walls. Vale ascended in silence, his boots echoing softly against the stone. He still wasn't entirely sure how he intended to approach this conversation. Originally, he had planned to simply inform Drago about the prison break. Straightforward and efficient But the closer he came to the office, the more complicated it felt.

Breaking Illu out of the colosseum was not some reckless stunt anymore, not truly. A Category Four creature escaping into the world would trigger panic across the entire kingdom. The Royal Guard would mobilize immediately. Sentinels would become involved. Worst of all, Drago himself would inevitably be dragged into the political aftermath. Vale exhaled tiredly. Not informing him would have been insulting. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

But informing him was dangerous in its own right. As he continued upward, he reached into one of the pouches attached to his armor and retrieved a thick strip of raw red meat. Casually, he tossed it off the side of the staircase. Instantly, something invisible moved. A crimson tongue shot through the air from seemingly nowhere, wrapped around the meat, and reeled it away into darkness before devouring it in seconds. Vale didn't even react anymore.

"Morning to you too," he muttered. The unseen predator lurking somewhere within the upper levels of the library remained hidden afterward, though Vale could practically feel it watching him as he continued climbing the final stretch of stairs. Eventually, he reached the top. The staircase settled into place behind him as he stepped into Drago's office. The room smelled faintly of parchment, ink, and old wood.

Mountains of documents covered nearly every surface while shelves packed with ancient books lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Behind the massive desk sat Drago himself, slumped slightly forward while reading through several stacks of paperwork with a level of concentration bordering on unnatural. Vale remained quiet for a moment. The staircase behind him slowly shifted back into the library's normal configuration. Drago never looked up.

"So," the old man finally said while continuing to read, "are you going to talk, or did you come all this way just to stare at me?" Vale blinked before sighing.

"Yeah," he answered while walking further into the office, "sure. Why not." Without invitation, he allowed himself to collapse onto one of the leather couches nearby. The soft cushions were heavenly after the stone floor of the colosseum basement, and for a dangerous moment Vale considered simply falling asleep there instead. He made himself comfortable before attempting to gather his thoughts. Silence lingered. Drago finally lowered one page slightly.

"Speak or leave, boy," he said flatly.

"I'm busy." Vale snapped out of his thoughts immediately.

"Right. Sorry." He sat upright slightly before finally speaking.

"I found one of my ravens." That got Drago's attention. The old man stopped reading entirely and slowly lifted his gaze toward Vale.

"Is that so?" Vale swallowed once before nodding.

"Yeah. Apparently it's been living beneath the colosseum this entire time." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't find it sooner." Drago stared at him silently for several moments. Then he sighed deeply and leaned forward over his desk.

"It terrified the people there, didn't it?" he asked calmly.

"Now they consider it too dangerous to release." Vale blinked in surprise.

"You already figured that out?" Drago gave him an utterly unimpressed look.

"Vale," he said slowly, "you are painfully predictable." Vale groaned quietly.

"Fair enough." The two stared at one another briefly before Drago leaned back again.

"You realize we cannot officially help you," he stated.

"If the Royal Guard learns the Library assisted in releasing a Category Four, the political consequences would be catastrophic." Vale nodded immediately.

"I know." Silence settled again. Then Drago sighed once more, longer this time.

"If you're going to do this," he finally said, "then make sure you disappear properly afterward." Vale froze. Drago continued before he could respond.

"Use the mask. Lose them in the open ocean where pursuit becomes difficult. The rocky formations west of Irea should provide enough cover if visibility is poor." He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"And go at night. Your raven is black enough to vanish against the dark sky." Vale stared at him in complete disbelief.

"…Are you seriously giving me advice right now?" Drago looked genuinely irritated by the question.

"I would rather have you alive than dead," he answered bluntly. Vale remained silent for a few seconds before laughing quietly under his breath.

"…Yeah," he admitted.

"I guess that makes sense." The atmosphere softened slightly afterward. Vale shifted the conversation instead.

"So," he asked, "any progress locating the Founders?" Drago's expression darkened immediately.

"Unfortunately not." Vale inhaled deeply through his nose.

"Well," he muttered, "that sucks." Drago snorted faintly before returning to his paperwork for a moment. Then he looked back toward Vale again.

"And you?" the old man asked.

"How have your memories been progressing?" Vale's expression dimmed slightly. For several seconds, he simply stared toward the floor.

"Not much," he admitted eventually.

"Nothing important, anyway." He leaned back into the couch with a tired sigh.

"Most of what returned were fragments from when I was a baby. Small things that dont carry much meaning or help in finding out what actually happened." His brows furrowed faintly.

"Nobody was ever there in the memories. Just me." Drago listened silently.

"I still haven't found the important ones," Vale finished quietly. The old man studied him for a long moment before finally nodding.

"You have time," he said simply. Then, after another pause, Drago rose from behind his desk. Despite his age, the sheer presence he carried remained overwhelming. He walked around the desk slowly before stopping beside Vale and placing a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder.

"For now," Drago said, "we should focus on preparing for your little stunt." Vale looked up immediately.

"You're actually going to help?" Drago stared down at him with a cold, unreadable gaze.

"Of course." A faint glimmer of curiosity crossed his eyes.

"I'm interested in seeing what your raven has become." His expression sharpened slightly.

"Who knows?" he continued quietly.

"Perhaps it's even more unique than you realize."